Editorials

It is in these early months each year when a sense begins to emerge about the condition of forthcoming salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. Mysterious to the uninitiated, the North of Falcon …

Oregon legislators are to be commended for going outside Salem to hear from real people about the state budget and other issues. But lawmakers should go further, adding more rural perspective …

Former Secretary of State Norma Paulus was a product of rural Oregon. She exemplified what individuals can do when given a chance — conquering poverty, polio and the lack of a college degree t…

Dennis Richardson was a courageous man.

With the possible exception of some high school graduates who can’t wait to put a few hundred miles between themselves and their hometowns, everyone loves community colleges. They are the Mari…

For years on this page we have been celebrating incremental and occasional huge gains in health care services on the North Coast.

It’s fitting that Oregon’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day. It’s the loveliest state we can imagine, and we’re glad to call her ours.

You’re going to notice improvements in the paper this week.

As Virginia’s Democratic governor learned to his regret in recent days, a huge majority of Americans remain disgusted by the toxic bigotry of the Ku Klux Klan and all it stands for.

Every child in Oregon deserves an excellent education — regardless of where the student lives or attends school, regardless of whether the student comes from a well-to-do family or an impoveri…

As a society, we have made such progress against once-common illnesses that we forget they are still around and still potentially life-threatening. The measles outbreak in Southeast Washington…

It was with alarm that we learned that lawmakers in Salem are actively considering a proposal to make Oregon government actions less open.

The support from the North Coast community for Coast Guard personnel still waiting for a paycheck during the longest government shutdown in history is laudable. Businesses and individuals have…

As the Oregon Legislature prepared to start work this week, its leaders were saying all the right things about working together, respecting rural Oregon and doing what was best for the state a…

Plastic bags are lightweight, handy and easily thrown away after use.

Oregon state government has been stunningly inefficient when buying computers and other technology.

Questioning the fundamental usefulness of government is the backbone of some American political factions, notably including the now seldom-mentioned Tea Party. Most of these righteous skeptics…

A scathing report about sexual harassment in the Oregon Capitol is both deeply disturbing and deeply flawed.

Anew legislative report underscores that PERS could be headed for more trouble.

We wish our readers a Happy New Year and welcome 2019 as an opportunity for a fresh start.

As we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and an enjoyable holiday season, it is fitting to reflect on some positive aspects of this week and next week’s fresh start with the New Year.

The Trump administration’s environmental policies are the ultimate screw-you moment for the youngest Americans, as well as for generations unborn. Following on the Environmental Protection Age…

Unlike much of the U.S., last month’s mid-term election was ho-hum in Oregon — as in, few election snafus.

The idea that young people working hard to get a much-desired education don’t have a permanent or safe place to live should be a priority to overcome.

No president of either party should have the power to wreck decades of carefully wrought trade policies.

It’s time to get your flu shot — if you haven’t already. You owe it to yourself, and to protect the people around you.

As President Donald Trump mulls his next choice for U.S. attorney general, we hope he chooses someone with a realistic view of legalized marijuana in Oregon and other states.

You know the drill.

The urban-rural divide is not just a “divide.” It is a widening chasm, one whose fissures were underscored by this month’s election results.

Living in the country can be heavenly — unless you’ve got problem neighbors. Then it can be pure hell.

Important national matters elsewhere are still unresolved in the wake of the Nov. 6 midterm elections, but now that the dust has begun to settle from the local campaigns it is time to move on.

Kate Brown was re-elected as Oregon governor with 49.99 percent of the vote in the latest statewide results.

Type fonts at newspapers come in all sorts of sizes, but in the old hot metal days the largest used to be a giant 72 point.

Bumper stickers proclaim, “Kate Brown is not my governor.” T-shirts, magnets and decals declare, “Donald Trump is not my president.”

Our final and most emphatic endorsement goes to state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who is a force of nature on behalf of her constituency.

A few words about government transparency: It makes democracy messy for government officials; it makes democracy inconvenient for those who hold power; it makes democracy work.

Columbia River salmon need all the friends they can get. So why is former Gov. John Kitzhaber still demonizing some of the most knowledgeable and passionate salmon advocates?

Clatsop County taxpayers have a lot on their plate to consider in the Nov. 6 election.

Eleven days to go until the Nov. 6 general election.

Let’s be realistic — the race to replace retiring state Rep. Deborah Boone, D-Cannon Beach, was likely decided in the May 15 primary.

The race for county commissioner between Peter Roscoe and Pamela Wev offers District 3 voters a clear choice in the type of experience they offer.

Astoria is blessed with a plethora of riches in the Nov. 6 election.

Oregon unemployment rates are at historic lows and the state revenue forecast at historic highs. The state’s incumbent governor should be riding a wave of approval into the Nov. 6 election. So…

The city of Astoria is poised to elect only its third mayor in 27 years on Nov. 6, following in the footsteps of Willis Van Dusen and Arline LaMear.

There is a wide disparity between U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and the two challengers for her 1st Congressional District seat.

The initiative process is the citizenry’s tool to directly enact change in state government.

After Tuesday’s debate, Oregonians still do not know their next governor’s vision for the state.

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions!

Oregon was a national pioneer on land use planning. It led the way with the Bottle Bill. Its protection of public beach access is legendary.

We think Oregon voters should repeal the state’s 31-year-old “sanctuary” statute by approving Ballot Measure 105 on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Museums are like universities. Their level of excellence depends on funding.

It was less than a year ago on this page that we were leading the applause for Clatsop County firefighters who answered the call to help fight wildfires around the region.

Perhaps nothing personifies the late Sen. John McCain better than this episode from his 2008 presidential campaign.

What does Astoria’s Goonies house have in common with Abe Lincoln’s boyhood cabin? Both are examples of humble dwellings that have taken on outsized symbolic importance.